Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2017 - PHIL 320 D100

Social and Political Philosophy (3)

Class Number: 8232

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 5 – Dec 4, 2017: Tue, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    One of PHIL 120W (or equivalent), 121, 220, 221 or ENV 320W.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An examination of an issue or selection of issues in social and political philosophy. Contemporary or historical readings or a mixture of these will be used. Possible topics include: justice, the law and legal systems, sovereignty, power and authority, democracy, liberty and equality. Sometimes the course will focus on the views of historically important political philosophers, such as Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, Bentham, Mill and Marx.

COURSE DETAILS:

Is pornography morally problematic? Some thinkers argue that pornography is morally objectionable, on the grounds that it objectifies women. Objectification is to define or regard a person as an object, while sexual objectification is to define or regard a person as a sexual object. Other thinkers argue that, even if it is true that pornography objectifies women, objectification (in the right context) can be morally benign. In this course, we will examine arguments for and against these positions. Some of the thinkers we will consider include: Catharine Mackinnon, Rae Langton, Sally Haslanger, Ronald Dworkin, and Martha Nussbaum. 

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

PHIL 320 may be applied towards the Certificate in Ethics: Theory and Application (see our website for more details).

 


Grading

  • Four short-assignments 20%
  • One 8-10 page paper 35%
  • Take-home final exam 35%
  • Participation (either in-class contributions or discussions in office hours) 10%

REQUIREMENTS:

Written work for this course will be submitted via Turnitin, a third party service licensed for use by SFU. Turnitin is used for originality checking to help detect plagiarism. Students will be required to create an account with Turnitin, and to submit their work via that account, on the terms stipulated in the agreement between the student and Turnitin. This agreement includes the retention of your submitted work as part of the Turnitin database. Any student with a concern about using the Turnitin service may opt to use an anonymous identity in their interactions with Turnitin. Students who do not intend to use Turnitin in the standard manner must notify the instructor at least two weeks in advance of any submission deadline. In particular, it is the responsibility of any student using the anonymous option (i.e. false name and temporary e-mail address created for the purpose) to inform the instructor such that the instructor can match up the anonymous identity with the student.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

 All required readings will be posted on Canvas or are available online.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS